Rooster Comb Peak
Idaho, United States, North America

Rooster Comb Peak

Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 43.13797°N / 116.81593°W
Additional Information County: Owyhee
Activities Activities: Hiking, Scrambling
Seasons Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Additional Information Elevation: 6336 ft / 1931 m
Sign the Climber's Log
Sign the Climber's Log!

Overview

Rooster Comb Summit Ridge with Owyhee Background

Rooster Comb is perhaps the most interesting peak in the Owyhee Range from a scramblers point of view. It provides Class 2-4 scrambling on a rock studded ridgeline amongst superb scenery. During the edges of winter and even parts of the summer, solitude can be found on these slopes.  Scramblers visiting the Owyhees should consider Rooster Comb for it's rocky ridge, Hayden Peak (the range's tallest at 8403), and War Eagle Mountain for it's historical significance and close proximity to Silver City.  

Rooster Comb Summit Ridge

Rooster Comb Peak is one of the few prominent points in the area without an obvious Jeep Trail to the summit. This is a great reason to give this peak a shot. Depending on the variable snow and mud conditions, this peak makes an excellent winter snow-shoe, early spring trail run, and late spring mountain bike.  There are numerous rocky outcroppings, mining remnants, and abandoned buildings to explore on the approach.  In addition, Succor Creek runs just under the peak and is a significant source of historic seasonal winter camping for Bannock and Shoshone Indians of the past. Not too far from this location, major U.S. Cavalry battles occurred against Indian uprisings in the late 1800's.   

Rooster Comb Topo- North Ridge

Trails / Routes 

  1. North Approach- The north side approach starts at China Flat or just west of that point at a prominent division in the road. The approach Jeep Road parallels a significant rocky ridge that runs north-south and crosses Succor Creek just before leaving the Jeep Road for the scrambling.  A variety of interesting alternatives around the summit ridgedefines the difficulty level from Class 2 to Class 4.    1200 feet of gain in 4.75 miles (one way)
  2. East Side Slopes- This approach starts at the upper reaches of Reynolds Creek near Johnston Draw. Follow the Johnston Draw west contouring north and cross Succor Creek just southeast of Rooster Comb Peak. Choose an interesting line up one of the south side gulleys.    1770 feet of gain in 2.9 miles (one way)

Numerous other possibilities exist and allowing extra time to explore the hundreds of rock outcroppings in the area is always a possibility.    

Maps:  USGS Rooster Comb Quad, USGS De Lemar Quad

Getting There

Rooster Comb North Ridge

Road Approach

Just south of the prominent ID-45 / ID-78 junction, take the signed Reynolds Creek Road. Follow this improved (paved for a portion) road for 14.3 miles until you reach the small town of Reynolds. About 0.3 miles south of the cemetery, turn right (west) and follow this dirt road 4.7 miles and park at the prominent clearing and road junction. The road winds it's way up the slope and is subject to snowy and muddy conditions.

Conditions and Season

Rooster Comb with Hayden and War Eagle in distance

Conditions and Season

This remote area is most often visited by off road vehicles during the summer. To avoid these, plan your trip just before all the snow melts or after the hunting seasons.  The season is highly variable and depends on the snow pack. One year you may get close as soon as February, another it may take until late March.  Often you can get close as late as November or December. The small town of Reynolds is accessible year round, so technically this peak is climbable year round.

National Weather Service-Boise

NW Side of Rooster Comb Peak

Ridge Rooster Comb Peak

Even though the Owyhee Range (also called the Silver City Mountains), sits south of Boise and has many desert like features, the area receives a good amount of snowfall and nearly twice the annual precipitation as nearby Boise.

Silver City, Idaho (Elevation 6150) Climate Data: Jan Feb  Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Average Max. Temperature (F)  35.9 38.1  45.0 51.9 60.8 69.9 80.7  80.2 70.6 58.1 41.8  35.7 55.7
Average Min. Temperature (F) 20.4  20.9 27.0 31.6 40.3  46.6  55.5 55.0  46.2  36.8 25.1  20.5 35.5
Average Total Precipitation (in.) 2.91 2.16 2.29 2.40 2.49 1.34 0.60  0.54 0.82 1.41  2.10   2.09  21.15
Average Total SnowFall (in.) 20.3 13.0  10.6 5.7 2.0  0.1  0.0  0.0 0.2  2.0  11.0  15.5  80.5
Average Snow Depth (in.)  22  27 19 5  0  0  0 0 0  0  3  12  7



Images

View Rooster Comb Peak Image Gallery - 14 Images

Table of Contents
Geography
Parents 

Parents

Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.

Owyhee MountainsMountains & Rocks